It is no secret we are all tired. If you are a mom with or without a forty hour a week job you are exhausted. If you are like me you are only getting about six hours of sleep a night…on a good night! If you are like me you are only getting about four of those so called good nights a week at most. So what can we do to cope with our sleep loss? What can we do so we don’t look like an extra from The Walking Dead?

Here you will find a list of things that has helped me to make it through the day. Hopefully some of these will help you too!

Get as Much Rest as Possible:

I know what you are thinking. Duh! If I were getting enough rest already I wouldn’t be wasting my time reading this blog. But are you really getting the most rest that you can?

Stop drinking caffeine around noon. I know this is a hard one, but I recently gave up all my caffeine drinks after lunch time and I have noticed a difference. My brain seems to quiet down faster once I go to bed at night instead of replaying the day over and over or worrying about all the things I need to do the next day.

Take a melatonin supplement with dinner. Melatonin doesn’t work like a sleeping pill, and it is all natural so you don’t have to worry about dependency. However, it does take several hours to kick in so if you take it at bedtime it will be too late.

Consider buying a white noise machine or downloading an App. I have an actual white noise maker in my room but it is too loud for my husband. Instead I use the App “Relax Melodies” which is free through the iTunes App Store. I set it on my bedside table on a volume that is just loud enough for me and it works great. The two sounds I use each night are Thunder and Oscillating Fan. For me just the sound of my husband breathing is enough to keep me awake at night, not to mention every time one of my boys cough, sneeze, or talk in their sleep. I just don’t need to hear all that. So a white noise machine blocks those sounds out for me. Now if I can just find a way to block his snoring.

Take Care of Yourself:

I know you hear this one all the time too, and trust me I have rolled my eyes more than once by some of the helpful articles I have read. Here is the truth, I don’t have time to cook from scratch daily. I don’t have time to buy fresh produce every couple of days. I can’t afford to buy 100% organic all the time. Sometimes I don’t feel like cooking AGAIN! And exercise! Hah! Screw that. However…

Probiotics are our friends. I love all those little active bugs. They keep things on track. I have been eating Greek yogurt for years, but recently I added Naked Juice to my morning breakfast and I buy the ones that are Boosted with Probiotics. Both of my boys just had colds with fevers. Usually I catch everything they get. Not this time. I was shocked. My class has had some kind of bug running back and forth through it and I have yet to catch it. I am giving full credit to my Boosted Naked Juice along with my Greek yogurt.

Turn on the music and turn it on loud. It just happens. Before you know it you are tapping your toes, shaking your rear, and bopping along. As far as I am concerned any movement is good movement, even if it is just my bad dancing. Plus loud music will help to drown out your children’s whining.

Take your vitamins. Many vitamins actually make me sick because the doses are too strong for my system, but I love my Flintstones with Iron. It is just enough to stop my anemia (which is a side effect of my Rheumatoid Arthritis) but not make me positively ill. Even better, toss in a Krill Oil supplement. All the benefits of fish oil but no yucky fish burps!!

Stick a banana or an apple or a Kind Bar in your purse when you leave the house. It helps you to avoid a quick pop-in to the drive thru or shove a candy treat in your mouth. If you are PMSing, though, just eat the chocolate and call it a day.

Drink lots of water. I have learned from experience that it is really easy to confuse dehydration for exhaustion. I keep a refillable water bottle on my desk at all times and I never leave the house without one.

Get Yourself the Right Tools

Dry Shampoo! Seriously, I don’t know how I ever lived without this stuff. I used to use my Treseme all the time but recently I discovered Bed Head’s Rockaholic Dirty Secret Dry Shampoo. OMG! This stuff is amazing. I use it on clean hair to add volume and texture as well as on three day old hair to keep it fresh and looking good.

Concealer. I love the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser. It is a great little product that is super cheap and super effective, and it fights fine lines. I actually buy two shades of this. I use the one called Brightener for highlighting and then Light Pale to cover any imperfections. The little sponge applicators make using it a piece of cake.

A small emergency kit for your purse. I used to carry my PAK with me where ever I went but there is no denying that the PAK is rather large since I had purchased the original version. Then one day I found the perfect replacement. Pinch Provisions make a tiny little bag that fits in the size of your palm filled with mini-emergency items for her. I then took a couple of their items out that I don’t really use and swapped them for items I need all the time, like my eye drops and nail clippers. It’s perfect for the busy mom on the go!

Eye serum and face cream. I am currently using a really fancy eye serum thanks to a Fabfitfun box, but trust me once it runs out I will not be buying another since it costs $88. Usually I just use Olay Regenerist products and Roc Retinol for my day and night moisturizer. Whether you have wrinkles or not that stuff works incredibly well and I am a big believer that it is never too early to start. Life is rough. Life is exhausting, and all those sleepless nights and times spent worrying over one problem or another will begin to show up on your face.

So there you are. My attempt to share a little knowledge gathered from forty years of life experience and time spent being really, really tired and still having to go to work. Let me know if any of this advice helps you. It’s nice to know I am not just talking to myself. Also, if you have any great suggestions please share!